Car Booster Seat Laws Save Lives

Car Booster Seat Laws Save Lives – A U.S. study published by the Academy of American Pediatrics conducted a study to determine whether state booster seat laws were related to a decrease in fatality rates among children ages 4 to 7 years.

When a child outgrows their regular car seats they still require the regular seat-belt crosses their shoulders in the correct position. The study cites research from crashes involving children 4 to 7 years of age identified in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System from Jan. 1999 through Dec. 2009. The complete research article discusses complete details. Nearly all states, with the exception of Florida and South Dakota, now require 6 and 7 year old children to use booster seats.

The results make a clear case that these booster seat laws are effective at saving lives. In states where a law was passed, traffic deaths among four and five year old kids dropped an average of 5.7 per 100,000 before the law, to 4.2 per 100,000. They also examined states whose laws covered kids aged six years. The average mortality rate among kids that age dropped from 2.3 to 1.5 per 100,000. Pretty convincing numbers that these measures are working and that car booster seat laws save lives.

The NHTSA has more information booster seats and their proper use. You can visit them here.